Chapter 558: Slapping Across the Face from Afar
Before every Real Madrid match, there's a lively atmosphere on domestic forums and social media platforms, where fans eagerly discuss various news about the game.
"Why did Olympiakos reach the Champions League quarter-finals? I saw some media saying their entire squad's total value is only around 15 million euros."
"The Galacticos' squad is almost reaching 800 million, and that's underestimating Wang Feng; it's already more than fifty times!"
This topic immediately sparked heated discussions, with various opinions being expressed.
Some believe it's their style of play that created miracles. "Just watch their previous games, and you'll see that Olympiakos has strong overall discipline."
Every player gives their all, especially in the game against Lyon. Even when they were down to ten men in extra time, they remained calm and eventually defeated their opponent in a penalty shootout.
"The biggest reliance for beating the stronger opponent is teamwork. As long as all strengths are united, the power unleashed will be astonishing."
Apart from this viewpoint, many believe it's UEFA's restructuring of the Champions League qualifiers that deserves credit, a move initiated during Platini's tenure.
"Many European second and third-tier league teams, including Olympiakos, managed to avoid facing powerful qualifiers and smoothly entered the Champions League group stage."
The fact that a Cypriot powerhouse enters the Champions League twice in three years is the best proof, and many unknown small clubs also made it to the group stage.
Although Olympiakos' first Champions League journey wasn't successful, finishing bottom of the group, the fact that they had a spot in European competitions attracted a large number of high-quality talents.
These individuals, who have long been in mid-to-lower-tier European clubs, have rich technical experience but low transfer values. They aspire to move to higher European stages to realize their own value.
For example, players like Yashic, who played for Aris in the Greek Super League, and former Real Betis forward Olivera.
Some data enthusiasts believe that Olympiakos' attacking efficiency is exceptionally high, allowing them to reach their current stage.
"From the official data provided by UEFA, the Cypriot powerhouse has a very low possession rate in all matches, but their success rate in attack is exceptionally outstanding, scoring a goal for every four shots on average."
"On the other hand, Lyon had 22 shots but in vain, no wonder they were eliminated."
"But what if they encounter a player with extremely high attacking efficiency, like Wang Feng? Will they stand a chance?"
"It's very unlikely, so everyone thinks Olympiakos is a gift for Real Madrid. As for the game itself, let's see in detail after the kickoff."
Ancelotti thoroughly studied Olympiakos' tactical style before the match, which isn't actually mysterious, simplifying it into three points.
Let the opponent have possession and counterattack, compress the activity space, and seize opportunities on the offensive end.
So Real Madrid's approach is simple and direct: press forward from midfield and use their powerful attack to directly break through the opponent's defense. As long as they can score, they will firmly hold the initiative.
As soon as the referee blew the starting whistle, Wang Feng led the front line to constantly pressure the opponent. Olympiakos finally witnessed how top European giants play, completely incomparable to Lyon.
Creating several significant threats in succession, in the 11th minute, Di Maria broke through from the wing and crossed into the penalty area, where Olympiakos headed the ball clear.
The ball was intercepted by Alonso outside the penalty area, and he directly flicked it back to Di Maria, who continued to send the ball into the penalty area from the bottom.
In the small penalty area, Higuain received the ball with his back to the goal, blocking the goalkeeper's view, and instead of shooting directly, he flicked the ball to Wang Feng, who was facing the goal.
The Chinese superstar controlled the ball with his chest and then, with his left foot, shot into the net while in mid-air. "Bang!" A goal! Real Madrid took the lead!
"Beautiful!" The comments on social media platforms flashed continuously at the moment of the goal, with countless fans who stayed up late expressing their opinions.
"The Galacticos' attack cooperation this time was so smooth, from the unsuccessful first cross, several consecutive moves successfully opened the opponent's goal."
"I have to say Di Maria is definitely underestimated; his threat from the wing is very significant, both in delivering crosses and cutting inside for shots. Bought for 25 million euros, he should be worth at least 60 million euros now!"
"Alonso's support outside the penalty area was also excellent; he intercepted the ball and directly sent a flick pass behind the defensive line. I think the Olympiakos players were a bit confused."
"And Higuain's back pass was timely; instead of sticking to the ball and getting trapped by the opponent's encirclement, his pass was precise."
"So the easiest job is Wang Feng's, right? One touch, one shot, and the goal is easily scored."
Some very meticulous fans commented that the Chinese superstar's contribution was equally outstanding, using excellent positioning to disturb the defending players and ultimately making a perfect shot.
"Oh come on, of course, we know all that. Wang Feng's divine goals are not few, and this time, his cooperation with the team was the most indispensable."
Some people stepped forward to explain that the reason they were so meticulous is that there will always be some unknown critics who insist that the Chinese superstar is a system player, achieving his current results solely relying on the excellent platform and teammates provided by Real Madrid.
Similar comments were soon brought up, with many people arguing, "Do you even understand? Wang Feng had three Champions League titles before joining Real Madrid; when he was rising in Serie A, you were probably still in diapers!"
While debates continued on the internet, the situation changed on the field. In the 29th minute, Wang Feng received a long pass from Khedira in the middle and quickly launched a counterattack.
He pretended to dribble inside but instead cut the ball sideways, bypassing the defending player in front along the sideline.
Rushing into the frontcourt, at this moment, three defending players swarmed over, blocking him in the corner.
The Chinese superstar made a sudden stop, then used his right foot to fake left and avoid the tackling defender beside him, then swiftly approached the forward defender.
At the critical moment, he gently pushed the ball through the defender's legs with his left foot, then sprinted past him.
In the blink of an eye, Wang Feng broke through the encirclement!
Continuing to dribble into the penalty area, at this moment, only one defender from Olympiakos managed to return to defend. The Chinese superstar feigned a cross to the right foot, attracting the opponent's shift of weight to block.
But in reality, he hooked the ball back to his left foot, creating space, and then directly shot with a curling shot. The ball flew into the far corner from the upper left of the goal, entering the net.
"Ha ha, a beautiful solo goal! This is simply a slap across the face from afar. Who said Wang Feng can only rely on his teammates to score? Come out and take the beating."
"Don't you know his specialty is a solo run? Have you forgotten the seven-man miracle in the World Cup?"
"I have to say, his acceleration is too fast; not only were the defending players not in position, but the other attacking players from Real Madrid were also slow."
"I'm sure they'll make it to the semi-finals; then it's the continuous championship! Just the thought of the world's greatest club's greatest player being Chinese makes me so excited!"
Taking a two-goal lead in the first half almost left the home team in despair. Their proud defense and "steal a goal" strategy had no market against absolute strength.
After the break, Di Maria capitalized on an inside cut shot from the wing to completely seal the victory. 3-0, Real Madrid secured a complete victory away.
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